Both species are presently widespread and common on Halmahera and cannot be considered immediately endangered there, but populations on smaller Moluccan islands require study and regular monitoring. This was a short, but thoroughly enriching visit to the Islands of Ternate and Halmahera, with some magnificent wildlife encounters both above and below water. The mission to see the standardwing was successful and my personal experience of birds of paradise was extended westward from the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
Depending on the species, males may hold their wings and tails at odd angles, puff out their chests, and dance rhythmically. With the light came a clearer view of the two male standardwings present at the lek, revealing the white shoulder plumes, the blue pectoral gorget and green frontal “bib,” “scaled with fine metallic green,” as Wallace had noted. Following the initial phase of “fly-up-then-parachute”, they danced in the near-dark, flicking out the shoulder plumes and hopping from branch to branch. As the light came up they slowed down and rested as seen in the two photographs below. George Robert Gray of the British Museum named this species in honor of Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist and author of The Malay Archipelago, who discovered the bird in 1858.
Goldie’s bird of pa…
They also fall victim to hunters who wish to sell their beautiful feathers or use them for ceremonial garb. Interestingly, birdwatching tourism has deterred the hunting of the birds. These birds exhibit some of the most interesting and entertaining behaviors of any bird. Males go to great lengths to attract the attention of females. They will often clear a “dance floor” – a branch or a patch of ground – by removing all leaves, twigs, and debris.
Some marvelous dives, the visit to the area of Wallace’s house on Ternate and a tour of the island were unexpected bonuses. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a Wallace’s standardwing bird of paradise, named for Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859 by G.R. Gray, “for the indefatigable energy he has hitherto shown in the advancement of ornithological and entomological knowledge, by visiting localities rarely if ever travelled by naturalists.” Males are polygamous, meeting up to perform a magnificent aerial display.
BIRD OF PARADISE CATEGORY
The standardwing bird-of-paradise is endemic to and confined to three islands in Northern Maluku, eastern Indonesia, being the westernmost species of true birds-of-paradise. The standardwing bird-of-paradise , also known as Wallace’s standardwing is wearing a stunningly slick crown of violet-and-lilac, and its suit is finished off with a bright emerald green vest. Its impressive looks make it one of the prettiest birds in the animal kingdom. Some species are monogamous, meaning they mate for life. This means that groups of males display and dance together. The watching female then chooses her favorite from the group.
- The standardwing bird-of-paradise can be found on three islands in Northern Maluku, eastern Indonesia.
- Birds of Paradise live in the tropical region of Oceania, specifically in New Guinea, Australia, and the surrounding islands.
- Then, the Monday afternoon back in Ternate connected me, via a knowledgeable taxi driver (the ever-cheerful Ojhi), with the search for Wallace’s Ternate house and the research efforts of George Beccaloni and Paul Whincup.
- Restricted-range species, still fairly common in suitable habitat.
These birds are mainly frugivorous and feed on a wide variety of fruit like figs and drupes. But they won’t pass on an insect if the opportunity presents itself. Typically forage in densely foliaged forest canopies. The diet is fruits and arthropods and probably small vertebrates. We could barely see the parachute display; in the dim light, we strained to see the birds through the dense foliage. Two birds were right over our heads and displayed vigorously.
The standardwing bird-of-paradise is medium-sized, approximately 28 cm long, and olive brown. The male has a gloss violet-and-lilac coloured crown and emerald-green breast shield. Its most striking features are two pairs of long white plumes coming out from the bend of the wing that can be raised or lowered at the bird’s will.
Breeding season at least from May to September. Males form a lek (5 – 7 males together) and perform a complex display from traditional perches on trees. When his assistant Ali one day brought him a “curious bird,” Wallace realized that he had “a great prize, no less than a completely new form of the bird of paradise, differing most remarkably from every other known bird.” On its island home, they prefer lowland tropical rainforest in hilly regions. However, they can sometimes be found in isolated woodland. Polygynous, with densely lekking promiscuous adult males forming aggregations of or more at traditional display trees.
Alfonzo Bissonnette is a wildlife conservationist and a television personality. He is 29 years old. When he was just four years old, he found his first dead animal on the side of the road. From that day on, he knew that he wanted to work with animals.
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